A host of Douglas County elected officials joined more than 100 Douglas County Chamber of Commerce members and other county personnel Tuesday for the annual First Responders Heroes luncheon.

The public safety departments honored at the luncheon, sponsored by the American Red Cross, included the Douglasville Police and Fire Departments, the Douglas County Fire Department, the sheriff’s department and the county’s E-911 system personnel.

Chamber chairman John Sell said it was important for all county residents to thank public safety personnel who put their lives on the line to protect and defend county residents, their property and businesses.

“The Douglas County Chamber looks forward to continuing its strong relationship with these public safety organizations in the future,” he said.

Each department head was called to the podium where he introduced members of his department in attendance.

Police Chief Chris Womack said he was honored to serve with the dedicated personnel of the city’s police department.

“What makes it work for the Douglasville Police Department holds true for the other public safety people here, and that’s teamwork and camaraderie,” Womack said.

“Certainly, what we do in public safety is important, but the foundation that holds it all together is that members of each department represented here work together to accomplish our public safety mission.”

He called public service a “we thing, not an I thing.”

Jerry Flerry of the American Red Cross, which sponsored the event, said his organization had much in common with the first responders.

“Every member of the departments represented here, and those who are on duty and could not attend, are our heroes,”

he said.

“All those here know that public safety is not just a job or a profession, it is a calling for you and one to which you have dedicated your life.”

The mission of the Red Cross is very similar to that of public safety personnel, he said.

“All of us deliver aid to people in need,” Flerry said.

He then pointed out statistics with regard to the Red Cross and its mission, especially delivering blood to patients in need.

“We serve more than 100 hospitals and, to meet the demand we have for blood and blood products, we need to collect more than 300,000 units of blood and blood products,” Flerry said.

“I am honored to be here with these first responders because we can’t thank you enough for your service.”

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides